Quick-change valve for musical instruments



E. A. COUTURIER.' QUICK CHANGE VALVE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.APPLICATION FILED MAY1`4, |921.

1,436,085, Patented Nov. 21, 1922.

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UNITED STATES ERNST A. COUTURIER, OF LAPORTE, INDIANA.

QUICK-CHANGE VALVE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Application filed May 14, 1921. Serial No. 469,662.

T0 (LN 'zo/mm 711 121.617,/ concern.'

Be it .known that l, FniNs'r A.. (lou'rnninn, a citizen. of the UnitedStates, residing at Laporte, in the county of Laporte and State ofIndiana, have invent-ed certain new and useful Improvements inQuick-Change Valves for Musical Instruments, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to valves for musical instruments whereby such aninstrument may, in the case of a cornet for example, be lengthened inbore to quickly change its key from B flat to A, or vice versa. Theprimary object is to provide a valve of simple construction which shall`be very low in cost of manufacture. Ease of manipulation is anotherobject, while a third lies in the provision of a quick change valvewhich by construction and arrangement is adapted to maintain theperfection of taper essential in a wind instrument; that is, thecontinuous and gradual increase in diameter. of the bore of theinstrument from mouthpiece to bell.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings which form a part of this specification and illustrate thepreferred embodiment of the invention.

In the dra-Wings:

Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal section through the mouthpipc of acornet or the like, illustrating my invention, in central section,incorporated in said mouthpipe and positioned to give the instrument itsshort-er length of bore.

'Fig 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing that position of theinvention whereby the bore of the cornet is given its longer length.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the parts and their position shown in Fig.1.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the parts and their position shown in Fig.2.

Fig. 5 is a sectional View on line of Fig. 2.

Reference numeral 10 irnlicatcs a portion of the mouthpiece end and 1la. portion of. the bell. end of a discontinuous musical iustrumentmouthpipe, these adjacent portions being connected by the present invention to forro. a continuous mouthpipe having continuously and graduallyincreasing internal diameter. This connection is comn pleted in twoways: either by insertion in the mouthpipe of a short highv pitch bow12, or a longer low pitch bow 13.

A In order to accomplish these connections, I provide a bearing plate14, into diametrically opposite apertures 15 and 16 of which theupturned ends of pipes 10 and 11 are respectively brazed. Plate 14 iscircular and centrally apertured as at 17 bearing concentrically uponthe upper face of plate 14 and in close surface contact therewith is arotary disc 18 having a central depending boss 19 which fits rotativelywithin aperture 17 and is centrally tapped to receive a cap screw 21 thehead of which underlies the central portion of plate 14 to retain theplate and disc together. Preferably disc 18 carries a dependingperipheral flange 22 which overlaps the edge of plate 14 and isexteriorly knurled, as seen in Fig. 5, to facilitate manual rot-ation ofthe disc.

The disc 18 is provided with four quadrantally disposed apertures 23,24, 25 and 26 which are positioned diametrically opposite each other inpairs, 23 and 24 comprising one pair, and 25 and 26 the other. Thecenters of apertures 23 and 25, as well as that of aperture 15, areequidistant from the center of disc 18, and apertures 16, 24 and 26 arealso equidistant from the center of the disc. The small diameter end ofbow 12 isy brazed into aperture 23, and its large diameter end inaperture 24; while the small diameter end of the longer bow 13 is brazedinto aperture 25, and its large diameter end into aperture 26. As shownin the drawings, bow 13 Straddles bow 12. The four termini of bows 12and 13 are iush with the lower surface of disc 18 while the upturnedends of the mouth-v pipe portions 10 and 11 are flush with the uppersurface of plate 14 in order that the ends of either bow may make such aclose joint with the respective mouthpipe ends to form a practicallycontinuous mouthpipe wall.

Rotative movement of disc 18 and bows 12 and 13 is limited to ninetydegrees by means of a stud 27 projecting radially from plate 14 into aperipherally elongated slot 28 provided in flange 22 of the disc.

Considering the invention as incorpoA rated in a Bilat cornet, the partswill occupy the relative position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. theshort bow 12 completing that length of bore of the instrument whichattunes itto the key of B-at. Then the player desires to change thepit-ch of his instrument to the key of A, he grasps the knurled flange22 and rotates disc 18 through ninety degrees in a counter-clock- Wisedirection as indicated by the arroiv in Fig. 3. This act-ion removes bow12 as an operative part oii' the instrument and inserts the longer bow13 as a component part of the mouthpipe', thus elongating the latter.The key of A position oit the parts is illustrated in Figs. 2, l and 5.

Inasmuch as the mouthpipe portions 10 and 11 are normally7 fixed partsof a cornet or the like, the plate 14.-, disc 18 and associated elementsof the invention lind ade quete support thereon. The tapering ot thebore of the invention has, 'for the purpose ot clear illustration, beenpurposel)IY exaggerated in the drawings.

I claim:

l. in a musical instrument, the combi nation with a plate and a discrotatively secured together in close surface contact, a pair o't tubularbows of different length the ends of Which are mounted in the disc, anda pair oi mouthpipe sections spacedly intersecting said plate, the endsot either bow being' registra-ble With the respective mouthpipesections, the bore formed by said mouthpipe sections and either boWbeing oi continuously and gradually increasing diameter.

2. In a musical instrument, the combination oi a plate, a pair oftapered mouthpipe sections spacedly intersecting' said plate and`terminating in a common surface thereof, said termini being ofdifferent diameters, a dise rotatively secured to the plate in closesurface Contact therewith, and a pair of tapered tubular bows ofdifferent lengths mounted on the disc with their ends intersecting andiixed therein, each of said bows having1 a small end registrable withand of the same diameter as the smaller of said mouthpipe sectiontermini, and a larger end simultaneously registrable with and equal indiameter to the larger of said mouthpipe section termini.

3. Inl a musicalv instrument, the combination of a plate provided with apair of apertures of different diameters, a. tapered mouthpipe havingthe larger end oit one sect-ion connected to the smaller of saidapertures and the smaller end of another section connected to the largerot said apertures, a disc rotatably attache l to said plate and providedWith two pairs oi apertures adapted to register in alternation With saidplate apertures, and tapered tubes connecting the apertures oi eachpair, said tubes beingboth adapted to form in conjunction with saidmouthpipe a passage oit progressively increasing diameter.

4. In a musical instrument, the combination oit a discontinuousmouthpipe of progressively increasing diameter, a plate to which theinner ends of the mouth pipe sections are attached, an apertured discrotatabl7 mounted on said plate, and a pair ot tapered tubes ofdifferent lengths carried by said disc and adapted to be registered inalternation with said mouthpipe sections, said tubes being each ofintegral construction and tapered to form in conjunction with themouthpipe sections a contiu nous passage of progressively increasingdiameter.

ERNST A. courunrne.

